Mall of America may lose Camp Snoopy

So how many people are going to start buying up the snoopy's with Mall of America logo's on them. I figure in a few years, they will be worth something.

If the rides are still there, what's the difference if they say "Snoopy" or "Baldheaded Charlie's Bananna Ranch" on them?

That's a debate I've had with people a lot, the value of some kind of license. Some people think the Paramount parks would do fine without a Paramount license, but I think it has really helped them out over the last few years. Time will tell on the Snoopy thing.

I don't know that a license from the likes of Paramount, Snoopy or even Warner Brothers will make or break a park. It really boils down to the experience you can give the guest when they visit. Look at Holiday World for example.

Yeah, Morté615, I'm sure in a few years we'll be seeing eBay auctions of corny Mall of America tourist sweaters with Snoopy on them selling for *thousands.*

Personally, licensed characters annoy me to no end. And if kids like them? So what, they'll get over it and move onto some other fad.

Mall Of America is in Charles Schulz's hometown, though.

That makes it a little bit different than just some random corporate mascot.

(Which is probably why Valleyfair had it in the first place, which is probably how Cedar Fair got it...)

The Snoopy liscense that Cedar Fair has isn't that large of an influence. As long as the characters aren't liscensed to non-CF parks across the country, I don't see it as being a problem. How many people are aware that parks like Worlds of Fun and Valleyfair! are even part of the same company that runs Cedar Point?

If the liscense stays, I don't think it will effect Cedar Fair's business at all. If the characters go, I could definitely see Mall of America losing something very valuable. That park is for kids more than anything.

I think the only thing the Peanuts and Snoopy characters have going for them is being moderately classy and classic, but how many people actually care about them, especially being more of a draw than Looney Tunes, Nickelodeon, HB, Disney toons, even the Dreamworks toons and holiday themes (Santa, Easter Bunny, etc.). For whoever mentioned Holiday World though, that does have a lot to do with the experience, atmosphere, outstanding coasters, and waterpark. I'd say attendance would jump double digit percentage points if they introduced something like Nick characters. The licensing alone is probably what helps keep SFKK in business. Maybe they'd be more meaningful to this area with the relationship to Charles Shultz hometown, but for CF as a whole, I don't think they spark interest in kids.

+Danny

bit0mike - Cedar Fair got the rights after they bought Knotts. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there are even any PEANUTS characters at Valleyfair. Granted, that may change now.

^ Yes, you are correct and I am sure that is what this is all about. VF was in too close proxmity to MOA, hence they stayed with Berenstein Bears for a while and now the generic Kidworks, like Geauga Lake.

And I recall having this discussion on these boards last when the whole thing broke about CF losing the management contract at MOA, and I argued that Knott's had the theme park rights and they transferred over to CF when they bought the park. I also said that most likely the Snoopy characters would leave MOA and go to VF. Others argued and argued that it was not so and wanted 'proof.' So, we will see in time I suppose. It only makes sense for CF to add it to VF.

Whatever draw one thinks the Peanuts have, I can guarantee they would sell a lot more Snoopy merchandise than Kidworks merchandise at VF!

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millrace said:

Personally, licensed characters annoy me to no end. And if kids like them? So what, they'll get over it and move onto some other fad.

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Licensed characters are the eye-candy for grade-school and tween customers. Amusement parks without licensed characters would be like Las Vegas without lights.

IMO, Mall of America didn't read (or understand) the fine-print in their contracts. Cross marketing the mall with Camp Snoopy and larger-than-life Peanuts characters obviously worked very well for them. CF was making money managing MOA assets, and that obviously bothered them. MOA thought they could make more profit by managing the park themselves, but that profit might fly out the window if they lose the Peanuts marketing that came with the CF partnership.

didn't the pentagon close camp snoopy when the defense budget got slashed?

Ummm...

No.
THe mall was closed for a few hours in 2002 after a bomb threat...but otherwise, no.

ARN&R article, Drew.

Actually it was an Onion article.

I'm not really following the whole thing here. Even if CF is out of the picture at MOA, they're not the ones who can license the Peanuts characters. Wouldn't that be up to United Media? Unless CF has some kind of exclusive arrangement with United that they could be the only amusement corporation that could use the Peanuts characters.

You have Peanuts on Dolly Madison cakes, in Hallmark stores, in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, etc., etc. CF certainly has no say or gets anything out of those. Like I said above, unless they have exclusive rights to use the characters in an amusement setting, couldn't MOA deal directly with United Media?